Following the Heart
by Tesserackt
Summary: Songfic. Little Sister by Queens of the Stone Age. Ron knows that he's in love with his younger sister, and he knows that she is growing more and more depressed, but he doesn't know what to do about either thing. Oneshot. -Summaries are evil to me-


** Following the Heart**

_Hey sister, are you all alone?  
_

He glanced at her from where he sat between Harry and Hermione. She sat the end of the house table, eating by herself. She used to sit with them, but she'd given that up, the year before. Harry's hand waved in front of his face and he realized he hadn't been paying attention. He focused on Harry and pretended to listen to something he was saying. He nodded and smiled, although he didn't know what Harry was talking about. Apparently that wasn't the right response, because Harry was giving him an odd look while Hermione asked him if he was feeling alright. He shifted his gaze to where she sat alone again, before looking at Hermione and answering, "I've just been a little distracted by something, lately, is all." He looked at her one more time before standing up and leaving Harry and Hermione sitting where they were. _At least I'm not lying to them yet, _he thought and he passed behind the young female redhead at the end of the table and touched her hair softly.

_I'm standing out your window_

He stared at her, sleeping peacefully in her four-poster from the window. If he were caught here, he could be expelled, but he would go to any length to catch a glimpse of his little sister's sleeping form. Especially since she was in the thin white nightgown she'd been wearing for years. It was much too small for her now. He knew the things he was thinking were wrong, but he couldn't stop the thoughts from coming. He shot one last longing look at her through the window of the sixth year girl's bedroom before flying away on Harry's Firebolt.

_  
Hey little sister can I come inside there_

It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but he'd seen Ginny staying behind and had played sick for long enough to have Harry and Hermione believe him and leave him behind in the castle. He followed Ginny as she moved to the Room of Requirement and stood outside, listening to her sobs for a few minutes that felt like hours, before knocking on the door and stepping in quietly. She lay in a large bed, curled up in the comforter, face and eyes red from the tears that were still streaming down her face. "May I come in?" he asked, although he knew he was going to stay, no matter what her answer was.

_  
I want to show you all my love_

She stared at him, wide eyed, as he moved toward the bed. He sat on the edge and looked down at her. He knew she came here many times. He'd followed her before, when he knew she wouldn't notice. She didn't think anyone cared enough to notice her skipping meals. "Ron—I thought—you were sick, earlier," she stuttered, voice scratchy and stressed from lack of use. He didn't answer her, but instead gathered her into his arms and kissed her head, rocking her back and forth. _I love you. I love you more than you can ever imagine_, he thought. And then he pretended that all he wanted was to be a brother to her. She held onto his shirt and sobbed, and he concentrated on lying to himself.

_  
I want to be the only one_

She spoke of Harry and how she loved him, but how he never looked at her. She spoke of Colin Creevey, who never talked to her anymore. She spoke of others, but she never mentioned him. He wanted to be the only one she thought of, the only one she cared for. He wanted her to give him the look she'd been throwing at Harry for so many years, now. It was wrong. She was his sister, but the longing never left him. He wanted to touch her, to have her. Instead, he did the only thing he could. He held her in his arms and listened as she spoke of everyone else.

_  
I know you like nobody ever, baby  
_

He knew all her childhood secrets. How she still wet her bed when she was nine. How she had cut her own hair when she was five, and how she had used to follow him around, because she had once adored him. He had been her hero, once. He knew what she was thinking, just by the look on her face. He knew every freckle on her body. He knew all her ticklish spots. He couldn't remember when this obsession had started, but what he did know was that no one knew his little sister like he did. No one even noticed her but him. No one else noticed as she slipped farther and farther into depression. And yet, in the end, she never thought of him, anymore. He wasn't her hero, anymore. He was just the older brother that would always comfort her and listen, as she told him about how green Harry Potter's eyes were.

_  
Little sister can't you find another way  
No more living life behind a shadow_

He just wanted her to be happy. The darkness seemed to follow her around now. She walked like there was a heavy weight resting on her shoulders, and he wasn't sure if he could take it anymore. He wished there was anything he could do for her, but he knew there wasn't. He couldn't just get her a bandaid for the hurt she was feeling now. He watched her as she passed him in the hallway. She smiled and waved to him as they passed. He knew that smile well. It was the fake smile that he had fooled himself into believing was real for so many years. He knew better, now. Her soul was shrouded in a shadow of hate and pain. She hated herself, the way she was. It hurt her that no one ever noticed her. _I've noticed you, finally, Gin. Be happy. Just be happy, please,_ he thought, and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

_You whisper secrets in my ear_

"…I don't love Harry anymore," she whispered. They were in the Room of Requirement again, but she had still insisted on whispering into his ear. A surge of happiness ran through him, but then he reminded himself that he shouldn't be so happy about that. "Is that so," he said, hoping his tone would make her believe that he didn't care as much as he did. She smiled a sad smile and leaned in to whisper to him again, "I've gotten over him, finally. I've fallen in love with someone else, now." His heart sank, but he stayed where he was as she hugged him and shifted in his lap. He prayed that she didn't notice the response he had to her. "Mmm… Someone else, eh? And may I ask who this 'someone else' is?" He couldn't believe he was asking her that. He didn't want to know. Didn't want to know at all. She looked up at him with sad eyes, "No. You'd never talk to me again if I told you." He stared down at her, wanting to question her, but he dropped the subject and comforted her. "As long as you're happy, I don't care who it is," he said in a neutral tone. She sighed before answering, "You say that now, but if you knew who it was, you'd take back those words right away." He kissed her head quietly and they sat in silence for the rest of the night.

_  
Slowly dancing cheek to cheek_

He was still groggy, so at first he didn't make out the form lying next to him in the bed. As his vision cleared, he saw Ginny's sleeping face next to him. Her breath was landing on his cheeks and he felt his body heat rising quickly. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the fact that their limbs were tangled together and the feeling of her small body pressed against his. He took a shaky breath and moved a hand to rub his face for a short second. When he moved his hand away from his face, two wide open brown eyes were next to him, staring back. He saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but he didn't quite catch her expression. He was sure she would move away from him, now that she was awake, but instead she did something he would never have expected. She moved her head forward and kissed each of his cheeks before snuggling up against him even more and falling back asleep. He looked down at her red head of hair and decided tonight was just as good a night as any to practice self control under pressure. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

_  
Such a sweet thing when you open up, baby_

"Ron…" he looked down at her. She was giving him a steady, contemplative look. It was a bit disconcerting.

"…Uh… Yes?"

"I've decided I'll tell you who the person that I love is."

So this was the moment. The time that she would tell him who she loved. He prepared himself for his own heartbreak and then smiled at her.

"Really? So you've gotten over the fear that I'll desert when I find out that you're in love with someone obscene?"

"You probably will," she replied, "But I can't keep this bottled up inside me anymore."

"So who is it?" he asked, tension building up in his chest. She didn't answer him, but instead pressed a searing kiss to his lips. He was so startled that he didn't respond, other than by tensing up. She pulled away from him quickly and brushed away a tear before moving away from him and toward the Room of Requirement's door. "Ginny. Ginny, wait!" he stood up and followed her out into the hallway. Soon he had caught up to her and pressed her against the wall. She wouldn't make eye contact with him. "What was that?" he asked, angry that she would kiss him like that when it didn't mean anything to her. He realized when she finally looked at him that she was crying. "Oh, Ron, don't you get it? The 'forbidden person' is _you_. There. I said it. You can avoid me, now, if you want."

She had barely finished her sentence when he kissed her with all the passion that had been building up inside of him for so long. They were still kissing when they heard someone clear their throat to their left. They jumped apart and saw Harry and Hermione giving them a look of disbelief. _They'll never understand this_, Ron thought, before Harry grabbed him and yanked him away from Ginny, while Hermione followed behind. He caught a glimpse of her sitting against the wall with her head between her knees before he was pulled around a corner.

_  
They say I'll only do you wrong_

They told him how wrong the two of them were. They told him how it would never work between him. They tried to convince him that was he was doing was wrong, but nothing had an effect on him. He knew it was wrong. He knew that he shouldn't feel the way he did, but he didn't care anymore. He was going to follow his heart, and his little sister was in possession of that object. _I love her and there's nothing that's ever going to change that_, he realized. He stared at his two friends, who were still lecturing him, and then he stood and walked away from them without saying a word. "Where do you think you're going, Ron?" Hermione questioned angrily. He looked at her with eyes that were bright and clear, "I'm going to go comfort someone who is very important to me. I think you two may have upset her." And then he stepped out of the Gryffindor common room.

_  
Come together cause I understand  
Just who you really are yeah, baby  
_

They lay together on the bed in the Room of Requirement in silence. They didn't have to speak to be comfortable with each other, anymore. Ron looked down at his younger sister. She lay with her head against his chest and smiled up at him. His heart swelled as he realized that the smile she had given him was real. She was happy. He had helped her, in the end, to be happy. It was the best feeling in the world. He pulled her close against him and vowed to himself that he would never let anything come between her happiness again. "…I love you…" he whispered, before drifting off to sleep with the love of his life held in his arms.

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...x**

Hey, hey, hey! Just so you know, I feel really, really dirty, writing this. Fred/George twincest is alright, but I really don't even want to imagine a Ron/Ginny pairing. Odd, no? IT'S THE SONG'S FAULT! BLAME THE DAMN SONG. And if you like Ron/Ginny incest or whatever, all the power to you, but it's not really my type, so I hope I did alright with this. If I did horribly, feel free to let me know. I have no heart to break, anyway. Or…at least…according to my mother. But she's angry that I refuse to clean my room. …………..THIS IS NOT A JOURNAL AND NOW I WILL BE SIGNING OUT. ADIOS AMIGOS.

P.S. – None of the characters are mine, but the (twisted at least in my eyes) plot IS. This might be clichéd. I don't know. OO' Moving on… THE CHARACTERS BELONG TO MS. ROWLING THANKYOUVERYMUCH. Oo' Oh, yeah. Reviews are always welcome. P And now I am done with my random gibberish.


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